


A Secret in an Envelope

by twtd



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, F/F, Hecate is awkward, Huddling For Warmth, JUST KISS ALREADY, Mutual Pining, Pippa is slightly less awkward, Trapped In Elevator, but not at the same time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-28 02:04:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15038282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twtd/pseuds/twtd
Summary: Hecate is a reclusive author and Pippa is her next door neighbor. What happens when Pippa needs to borrow a cup of milk?"In any event, if she wanted to get the biscuits finished any time soon, she needed to gather up her courage and knock on the door of her really very intimidating, very attractive neighbor. It was now or never."





	A Secret in an Envelope

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a cute little 2,000 word AU. It grew. Yes, it's exactly as clichéd and trope-y as it sounds.
> 
> This is my first time writing The Worst Witch fic, so feel free to yell at me if Hecate and Pippa seem wildly out of character.

Oh God, it was a cliché, but Pippa really did have all the ingredients when she started making the biscuits. It was hardly her fault, okay it was entirely her fault, that she had spilled all of her milk across the floor. She really wanted to avoid going to the store so late if she could help it. She'd have to put on real clothes, rather than her current ensemble of pink sweatpants and a threadbare tee shirt. The tee shirt had a rainbow sparkling across the front, which was why she loved it, but it wouldn't do to wear it out of the building. And the cookies really needed to be finished before tomorrow morning. She had promised her choir students a treat if they did well at the festival, and they'd certainly gone above and beyond in their performance, so store bought just wouldn't do. Of course, she hadn't had time to bake the biscuits earlier in the day, which would have solved this problem as she could have gone to the store, but oh well. There was no use crying over spilled milk. She couldn't believe that she'd even thought that. In any event, if she wanted to get the biscuits finished any time soon, she needed to gather up her courage and knock on the door of her really very intimidating, very attractive neighbor. It was now or never.

***

"Yes, yes," Hecate grumbled as she went to answer her door. She pulled her black robe more tightly around herself and tugged at the belt once again. She had been right in the middle of a paragraph when the unasked for interruption banged through her apartment. She hadn't a clue who it could be disturbing her at 11:30 at night whether Hecate herself kept the hours of a bat or not. She yanked her door open to find a woman standing there wearing far too much pink with a glass in her hand. She glared.

"Can I help you?" She looked down her nose hoping that would make the intruder go away, but the other woman didn't seem to quail under her stare.

"Yes, actually, you see, I was baking some biscuits, and I spilled all of my milk, and the children--" the woman started. 

Hecate held up a hand and interrupted. "Your point?" She really didn't have time for this. 

"Well, I was hoping I might borrow some." She held a glass out. "Some milk, that is." Milk? The woman was knocking on her door for milk? It was preposterous, but fulfilling her request would likely be the quickest way to remove the woman from her presence. 

"Very well," Hecate bit out. She opened the door to her flat just a bit wider and took the glass from the other woman's hand without warning.

***

As her neighbor turned away, Pippa eased herself into the flat's entryway. The flat was big enough, roughly the same size as hers but laid out in a completely different manner. The kitchen, where the other woman was now standing, was off to the right and open to the living room where there were a somewhat comfortable looking couch and two wing back chairs on either side of a fireplace. There was a large desk pushed up against the wall with all of the windows, and the door out to the balcony and the rest of the walls were all lined with full bookshelves, only the occasional knick-knack breaking up the rows and rows of books. Pippa was drawn to them. There was so much you could tell about a person through their books.

"I'm Pippa, by the way," She said directing it somewhere over her shoulder as she stepped closer to the nearest bookshelf. 

"Pippa?" came the response. 

"My name. It's Pippa." Pippa could practically feel the raised eyebrow. "You have a complete set of the novels by HB?" Pippa leaned closer but kept her hands behind her back lest she reach out to touch something. "Even the ones out of print. I've been looking for a copy of _Murder and Mayhem at Cackle's_ for ages and I can't find it anywhere."

"Yes, well," the woman cleared her throat, "I have your milk." 

When Pippa turned around, the woman was somehow standing even straighter than before, but was that a blush on her cheeks? It was so faint Pippa couldn't quite tell, but either way, there was something compelling about her. Some combination of bone structure, long, dark hair, and those eyes gave the woman a presence that was nearly magnetic. 

"Oh, thank you." Pippa walked over to the woman and reached out for the glass. It was nearly full, containing far more than she needed, and Pippa held it carefully.

The woman gestured toward the door. "Now, if you don't mind," she said. 

"Of course." Pippa turned around. She had wandered further into the apartment than she realized. Seconds later she was on the other side of the door. It was only after she got back to her own flat that she realized she had never gotten the other woman's name.

***

Hecate couldn't find Morgana anywhere. She could hear her meowing, but as far as Hecate could tell, she wasn't anywhere inside the flat. Each place she checked that came up empty drove her a little bit more crazy. She had looked in all of Morgana's favorite places: under the bed, under the couch, under the chairs, anywhere else where she could get under something, but Hecate’d had no luck. She needed to find the damned cat where she could get back to writing. 'HB' was due to come out with a new novel in a year, and she needed to get her first draft to her editor by the end of the week. She did not have time to go hunting after her wayward cat.

She heard another meow and looked around once more. The window was open. Of course, it was. Hecate walked out onto the balcony and looked around. She spun from one direction to the next until she finally looked over. There Morgana was. Sitting on her neighbor's, on Pippa's, balcony, sitting on Pippa's lap. It had been weeks since the milk incident and it was most unfortunate how comfortable Morgana looked. Hecate suddenly pictured herself sitting on Pippa's balcony. From the first moment Hecate had seen Pippa she had been… attracted. That wasn't precisely the correct term, and as a writer, Hecate prided herself on finding the correct way to describe something, but it was the best she could do. Maybe compelled was better. Now, she couldn't stop herself from staring for just a moment. Pippa was lovely. Her blonde hair was up today, though it had been down in a simple ponytail the night of the milk incident, as Hecate was now calling it, and she was wearing real clothing this time. Still, there had been something appealing about the casual way Pippa had been dressed that night. The _attraction_ was why it had taken her so long to pour a simple glass of milk. She'd been too busy stealing glances at Pippa from the corner of her eye. 

Hecate coughed to get Pippa's attention. It worked and Pippa looked up. "Oh, hello again," Pippa said with a smile. She was wearing yet more pink, though this time there was a slight layer of black cat hair on her skirt. "You know, I didn't get your name the other night." 

"It's Hecate. And it appears my cat is on your balcony." Hecate nodded toward Morgana. Pippa's balcony was much like the woman herself: white chairs covered in comfortable pink cushions. There was a substantial gap between the stone railings that ringed each balcony. Why Morgana would have jumped it, Hecate had no idea. 

"Is she yours? I'd wondered." Pippa kept petting Morgana, scratching the top of her head. "I suppose you'd like her back." 

"If she's amenable, yes." Hecate squared her shoulders. If Morgana wanted to spend time at Pippa's, there really wasn't much Hecate could do about it. She would just jump the gap between them again. 

"Come over. I'll get the door." Pippa's smile grew as she stood and headed back into her apartment. Hecate pursed her lips but did as she was told. She didn't know exactly why she did it, but as she passed by her bookcase, she grabbed her copy of _Murder and Mayhem at Cackle's_. She flipped through it quickly to make sure there was nothing in it to identify her, then headed to Pippa's flat. By the time she was in the hallway, Pippa had already cracked her door open. Hecate pushed it the rest of the way. 

"Hello?" She stepped inside and looked around. Pippa's flat was a loft, no walls anywhere, though the sleeping area looked like it could be closed off with giant windowed dividers mounted on rails. Hecate wondered what the point of the dividers was when you could see through them. It seemed wholly impractical and superfluous. There was rather less pink than Hecate expected, but it was just a rumpled as she'd anticipated. Not messy so much as lived in. The only part of Hecate's apartment that she lived in was her desk.

"Hi." Pippa returned Hecate's attention to her rather than the surrounding space. Pippa had Morgana cradled in her arms and was rubbing her belly, something Morgana only occasionally allowed Hecate herself to do. Hecate raised an eyebrow. 

"She seems to have taken a liking to you," Hecate said. She reached out to take Morgana from Pippa's arms then remembered the book in her hand. "I brought this. For you to borrow." She set it down on a nearby side table. "It's a rather amateurish effort, but for the sake of completion."

Hecate knew she looked as uncomfortable as she felt. To cover it, she reached again for Morgana and the cat easily slid into her arms.

"Oh, thank you," Pippa's smile was radiant and Hecate immediately wanted to find another way to make Pippa smile again. "And I've always been good with animals, so…" She shrugged. They stood there awkwardly for a moment. Hecate was glad Morgana was in her arms otherwise she wouldn't have known what to do with her hands. Pippa seemed to have no qualms about rubbing hers together. "And thank you again for the milk. Would you care for something to drink? It seems the least I can do." 

"No, thank you. I have a… pressing engagement." She had no such thing, but she needed to get out of Pippa's apartment. The smell of Pippa's perfume, something floral and surprisingly complex, was making Hecate's head spin in the best way. 

"All right then," Pippa said. "Let me show you out." She walked Hecate to the door and opened it for her. "I'll get you your book back soon." 

"Thank you," Hecate said stiffly. "For Morgana. I was starting to worry." She stepped through the door before Pippa could say anything else.

***

Pippa's arms were full as she opened the building's door and then rushed toward the closing doors of the lift. "Hold those please," she called out as she tried not to topple the pile of things in her arms. She had her usual school things plus several packages that she's had delivered to the school that she really should have had delivered to her home, and a small grocery bag. She really hadn't wanted to make two trips to her car in the rain but now that was looking like it would have been the wiser decision. Pippa sighed in relief when the door stopped closing and opened again.

"Thank you," she said to her rescuer before she could see who it was. She reached out to press the button, nearly unbalancing her things, when a slender, pale hand reached out to steady them. 

"I've got it already." Oh, it was Hecate! Hecate who she hadn't seen in nearly a month, though she'd looked out for Morgana on her balcony most days since then. She'd wanted the excuse to speak with Hecate again, maybe to invite her out to coffee or something, but no excuse had appeared, and she didn't think the other woman would appreciate another unexpected drop in. 

"Thank you," Pippa said as she resettled everything. "I, uhm, I need to bring your book back to you. I finished it a few days ago." She looked up at Hecate and her breath caught in her throat. Hecate's hair was up in an elaborate bun and her high collar was perfectly framing her long neck. It was all quite formal and it made Pippa want to do obscene things to that neck.

"Would you… like some help?" Hecate asked, her voice hesitant and unsure as if Pippa might do something worse than simply turn her down. 

"That would be lovely," Pippa smiled brightly, "If you could just get the top box. It isn't heavy, just unwieldy." 

"Of course," Hecate was taking the box from Pippa's arms when the lift shuddered and came to a stop. The doors didn't open though. "What on earth?" Hecate shifted the box to one side and tried pressing one of the buttons again. Nothing happened. 

"Are we stuck?" Pippa tried looking around Hecate to see the panel but seeing it did no good. There wasn't any information provided that they didn't already know, which wasn't much of anything. 

"Presumably," Hecate said, her voice dry and sardonic. She put down Pippa's package and pressed the intercom button. A tinny voice came through the speaker, and Hecate quickly summarized their predicament. She was told it would be roughly half an hour before someone could have the elevator fixed enough to get them out. 

If you had to get stuck in an elevator, half an hour didn't seem too terribly long to be stuck there. At least Pippa didn't think so, though she hadn't exactly been stuck in an elevator before. She put down her own things and turned to Hecate as she clasped her hands in front of herself. She was trying to relax as much as the situation would allow. Hecate just looked tense. Pippa sighed. If they were going to do anything other than stand in silence, it seemed like Pippa was going to have to be the one to say something. 

"I don't entirely agree with your assessment of the book." She swayed in place a bit. It seemed like a safe course for conversation.

"Oh?" was Hecate's only response, though it did get her to at least look at Pippa. Pippa grinned. 

"Well, you can certainly tell it's a first book, particularly compared to what they're writing now, but it's hardly amateurish. The distinctive turn of phrase is still there. It just isn't quite a confident yet. And the whole thing is endlessly compelling," Pippa said as she slid her shoes off. Her lack of heels made her a bit shorter than Hecate, but not dramatically so. For some reason that pleased her. Maybe because it would make it easier to kiss her one day. Pippa tried to banish that thought. They hadn't even really made it to friendly conversation yet. 

Hecate sniffed at Pippa's assessment. "You're much too generous." 

"Do you have any guesses as to who HB is?" And HB was popular enough for there to be many theories, " I haven't a clue, but I love the speculation. I do like the idea that it's Prince Harry or something ridiculous like that." Warming to the subject, Pippa was now rocking back and forth just a bit. 

"I'm certain I couldn't say," Hecate replied drolly and rolled her eyes. "And speculating is ridiculous. You'll never find out, so why bother?" 

Pippa shrugged. "The mystery is part of the fun. Particularly considering the books themselves are mysteries. How can you like the books as much as you do and not have a theory about the author?" 

"If you must know, I think the author is someone completely insignificant, someone you'd never suspect because you wouldn't even know she existed. She's probably writing under a pseudonym because she doesn't want to be bothered with all of the things surrounding publishing. " Hecate said. 

"So you think it's a woman then?" Pippa smiled. "See, you do have a theory."

"I suppose, though not much of one." Hecate sighed and checked her watch. The elevator rocked slightly and the voice came through the speaker again. 

"We should have you ladies out of there in another 10 minutes," the man said. Hecate rolled her eyes as she thanked him.

"So, what is it that you do, Hecate from next door?" Pippa hadn't noticed Hecate entering or leaving the building at any sort of regular time, but that didn't mean anything. She, herself, wasn't sitting around watching the doors. 

"I, uhm, well…" Pippa tried to look encouraging. She hadn't realized it would be such a complicated question. "I'm a writer. Mainly technical writing. It's quite boring. What about you?" Hecate was trying, but it looked like it was taking quite the effort. 

"I'm a choir director down at the local school. I spend a lot of time with teenagers." The corners of Pippa's eyes crinkled in mirth. She was proud of what she did. 

"I thought, once, of becoming a teacher," They were the first words that Hecate had freely offered. 

"And what would you have taught?" Pippa wanted to reach out and touch Hecate's arm or to take her hand, but she suspected the contact wouldn't be welcomed. 

"Oh, I always liked chemistry in school. There was something elegant about it." Hecate's eyes started to sparkle and Pippa thought it was the most marvelous thing in the world. 

"Yes, I suppose there is." It wasn't exactly her area of interest, but with the way Hecate put it, she could see the appeal. 

The elevator rocked again and slowly started moving. As soon as they got to the next floor, the doors opened. Hecate grabbed Pippa's package from the floor and stepped out with Pippa right behind her. 

"I suppose we'll have to take the stairs the rest of the way." Pippa headed toward the stairwell. 

"I believe I shall be taking the stairs for quite some time," Hecate said. The way she said it made it almost sounded like a joke rather than a simple observation. Pippa was pleased that she had managed to pull it out of Hecate. They made it off of the stairs and into the hallway, Hecate accompanying Pippa to her door. Pippa unlocked it and once she was inside, she put down her things and stood aside in an invitation for Hecate to come in. Hecate took exactly two steps into Pippa's apartment and held out Pippa's package. 

"Thank you," Pippa said as she took it from Hecate. "Don't go anywhere until I get you your book." She put the second package next to the first and walked further into her apartment. Pippa went over to her bed where one of the glass panels had been pulled all the way closed and the other was open only wide enough for someone to pass through. She grabbed the book from the nightstand and joined Hecate by the door again.

"Here you are." Pippa handed the book over to Hecate. "You really should reread it though. Give it a second chance. I think you'll be surprised at how much better it is than you think." 

"I'll take that under advisement." Hecate nodded. She looked caught somewhere between saying something and turning to go. "I… Despite the circumstances, it was nice spending time with you." Now Pippa knew Hecate was blushing. 

"You too," she said softly. She leaned against the edge of her open door waiting to close it whenever Hecate decided to go. Pippa didn't want to rush her. Hecate nodded and turned on her heel. With that, she was unlocking her own door and disappearing inside.

***

"Care to join me for a cup of tea?" Hecate looked up, startled by the sudden voice coming from the balcony next to hers. It was Pippa of course. Who else could it be? Hecate was outside watering the plants that were slowly overtaking her balcony, she was going to need to trim them back soon when Pippa interrupted her. Pippa was casually leaning against the stone railing that enclosed her balcony, a cup of tea in one hand. She was barefoot and a teapot sat on the small table behind her.

"Urm…?" Yes, that was eloquent. It wasn't like Hecate was a professional writer or anything. She could feel her face heating up. Apparently, Pippa just had that effect on her. "Pardon me?" There, at least, was an appropriate response to Pippa’s question. 

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Pippa gestured toward the pot behind her with her head. "Since we're both out here, I thought you might like to join me. It was a silly idea, real--"

"No." The interruption came off too brusquely, even Hecate could recognize that. She rushed to correct the situation. "No, I mean, it wasn't silly. I would love a cup." There, that wasn't too bad, particularly since it inspired one of Pippa radiant smiles. 

"Excellent," Pippa said as she disappeared back inside. Hecate wasn't sure if she was supposed to follow her and join Pippa in her flat or stay where she was. Pippa answered her question a moment later when she appeared with another cup in hand. "Do you take anything in it?" Pippa asked as she swiftly poured the tea. 

"No, thank you," Hecate reached out as Pippa passed the cup across the gap between their balconies. It was easily the oddest way to have a cup of tea with someone that she had ever encountered, but the tea was good and she got to see Pippa again, so it was worth it. She didn't know how to start a conversation though, so they stood there in awkward silence for a long moment. 

"I don't suppose, well," Pippa started, "I don't suppose you'd let me borrow the next book in the series would you? _Something something at Pentangles_. It's just, I can't seem to find my copy and after reading the first one, it seemed like a good time to revisit them." 

Hecate blinked in surprise. " _The Girls of Pentangles_? Certainly. Just give me a moment." Hecate put her cup down and turned to go inside. Why was Pippa suddenly so interested in her books? Did she suspect something? Or was Hecate simply overreacting? Pippa had said she suspected someone famous wrote the books, hadn't she? She couldn't possibly suspect Hecate. 

Hecate pulled the book off of her shelf. As she was turning to head back outside, she stopped and returned to the bookshelf where she removed a second book. She balanced the two in her hand, still holding her tea with the other, and returned outside. Once she was there, she finally put her tea down on a side table. Pippa was looking at her eagerly so Hecate wasted no time in passing the books over. 

"What's this?" Pippa put down _The Girls of Pentangles_ and turned the other book around in her hands. It was much thinner than the other book and looked much older. 

"A collection of short stories by HB published before her first book." Hecate looked down suddenly bashful. "It was a limited run, and they're nothing like the rest of the books, but I thought you might enjoy them anyway. You can say you've read all of them now if nothing else." 

"And are these amateurish as well?" Pippa smirked and it made Hecate's breath catch. 

"Most certainly," Hecate replied. "Possibly even worse than _Murder and Mayhem_. But clearly, they were good enough to get her a further publishing contract." In truth, some of Hecate's favorite works were in the book of short stories, no matter how dreadfully young she had been when she wrote them. Hecate blushed once again. 

"Perhaps I'll read these first then." Pippa ran her fingers over the embossed cover of the book and Hecate shivered. What would those hands feel like against her skin? Were they as soft as they looked? Hecate cleared her throat. She was never going to know. 

"I hope you'll let me know what you think of them." Hecate didn't put much stock in reviews, but she found she genuinely wanted Pippa's opinion. Just a Pippa was about to respond, Hecate's phone started to ring. "I need to get that." Hecate turned reluctantly back to her flat. It was a scheduled call with Ada, her publisher, that she really couldn't miss. How had she forgotten? How long had she been out on the balcony with Pippa? It wouldn't do to dwell. She didn't see the way Pippa's smile fell as she left.

***

This time, Pippa was on the lookout for Hecate. Well, really she was listening for the sound of Hecate's keys or something similar. A courier had left a package for Hecate with her earlier in the evening and she wanted to get it to Hecate as soon as possible. Unfortunately, as soon as possible seemed to be closer to midnight than dinner time. Maybe Hecate had snuck in when Pippa was distracted by something. Pippa really couldn't help her curiosity, and the package wasn't sealed. It would be so easy to sneak a peek at whatever was inside it. It looked like a book, but who had books sent by courier? She was just pulling it out when there was a knock at her door. Pippa quickly slid the book back into the package and went to answer her door.

A peek and she was opening her door to Hecate. She was once again in her formal dress. Pippa couldn't stop herself from staring. "Did the courier leave you a note?" Pippa stepped back to invite Hecate in. Hecate once again took exactly two steps inside and stopped. 

"Indeed." Hecate pulled herself up to her full height. 

"Let me grab it for you then." Pippa went over to her coffee table and picked it up. "Any chance you'll tell me what you're reading?" She hefted the book before passing it to Hecate. Their fingers brushed and Pippa shivered. It was too much and not enough all at the same time. 

"It's… confidential." Hecate shifted nervously. Pippa wondered just what it was about a book that could cause that reaction. 

"You made it sound like the plans for a Russian submarine or something." Pippa laughed lightly. Maybe it was plans for a Russian submarine. That would explain the courier and Hecate's nerves. 

"Nothing quite that exciting," Hecate said drolly as she shifted again. She seemed eager to leave, but Pippa really wanted her to stay. 

Hecate was turning to leave when Pippa reached out and touched Hecate's arm. "Have you eaten?" Hecate flinched at the unexpected touch but it stopped her in her tracks. 

"Eaten?" Hecate asked. Pippa knew she was reaching for an excuse to make Hecate stay, but she would take it. Anything to keep talking to her. 

"Well, it's late and you're just getting home. I thought, perhaps…" Pippa shrugged. "I'm sure I have the ingredients to make two omelets at least." 

Hecate opened her mouth then closed it again. "I… suppose that would be acceptable."

***

Omelets? At midnight? What was she doing? Hecate put her package on the island that edged Pippa's kitchen as the other woman opened her fridge and started pulling things out. The pile of fillings grew rapidly in front of Pippa as Hecate stood and watched. She really should be at home skimming through the galley copy of her latest book, but there was something so appealing about being in Pippa's kitchen while Pippa cooked that Hecate couldn't tear herself away. She was lost in the feeling when she heard the crack and splat of a dropped egg. It grabbed her attention as Pippa said, "Oh drat."

Pippa sighed and started to clean up the mess. Once she was finished, she looked up at Hecate with trepidation in her eyes. "I don't, um, I don't suppose you have an egg I could borrow?"

Hecate's eyebrows nearly merged with her hairline. "An egg?" 

"I swear I'm not usually this clumsy," Pippa said. Hecate wasn't sure if that was actually true. First the milk, now this egg. Still, it was an easy enough request to fulfill. 

"I'll be right back." Hecate grabbed her package again and headed out of Pippa's apartment to her own. Once she was safely behind her own closed door, Hecate pressed her back to the wall and rolled her eyes at herself. She was being ridiculous. She should have just thanked Pippa and then returned to her apartment. It would be so much easier than forcing herself through a social situation where she didn't know what she was doing. Pippa clearly wanted to spend time with her, but what did that mean? Morgana hopped onto the counter and Hecate absent-mindedly scratched the top of her head. 

Hecate rolled her eyes at herself before she grabbed two eggs and returned to Pippa's apartment. Better to just do as Pippa asked.

"Oh good, you're back." Pippa beamed at Hecate and Hecate felt something inside herself expand into her lungs. 

"So I am." Hecate rejoined Pippa in the kitchen, this time on the same side of the counter as Pippa. She hoped it wasn't too forward. "Here you are," she said as she held the eggs out. Pippa took them with a smile. 

"Thank you." It looked like all of the other eggs had safely been cracked into a bowl. Pippa added the last egg and started whisking. "I've had the chance to read a couple of the short stories in the book you gave me. You're right, they're significantly different from HB's books. Much more purely literary rather than the blend between the literary and the popular mystery that they're able to achieve now. More poetic, I think. Poetic and lovely. _The Solution in the Spell_ might be my favorite so far." Pippa turned from her preparation to look at Hecate. 

Of course, that was Pippa's favorite. It was Hecate's as well. She wasn't afraid to say it was the best thing she had ever written. She'd written the first draft over the course of two days, a speed unheard of for her, and poured all of her emotions at the time into it. "I quite like that one as well," Hecate said in a voice close to a whisper. Pippa looked up from her pan and it felt like she was looking through Hecate rather than at her, as if she saw something Hecate didn't know about herself. 

"I'm a bit confused about the inscription in the front of your copy though. It says, 'For HB, try to enjoy your success. Ada.'"

The bottom dropped out of Hecate's stomach and she went pale. She's completely forgotten that Ada had written that in the copy she had been given. If she had known, she never would have loaned the copy to Pippa. She was sure she could have gotten a clean copy from Ada. How could she have been so thoughtless? How could she possibly explain it? She scrambled for an excuse. 

"Yes, I've always been curious about that too." It wasn't entirely a lie. She'd never understood her publisher's insistence that she take time off to enjoy herself when she enjoyed writing so much. 

"Do you think you ended up with a copy intended for HB, or perhaps it's someone's idea of a joke?" Pippa was plating one of the omelets as she asked the question. The sparkle in her eye was back as if she enjoyed the idea that the inscription was part of some elaborate prank.

"I don't care to speculate." Hecate didn't want to lie to Pippa if she could help it. Not directly at least. 

Pippa pushed the plate in front of Hecate as she shook her head. "That seems to be a theme with you." Hecate ducked her head. From someone else, it might have been insulting. For Pippa was anything but. "You should eat while it's still hot." 

"Of course," Hecate said before she started eating. She had to admit, the omelet was good. It settled heavy in her stomach though. She really needed to get back to her apartment before she revealed anything to Pippa. And here the night had been going so well. She was nearly finished with her omelet before Pippa started on hers. 

"You must have been hungry," Pippa wiped her mouth. "I'm glad I insisted on feeding you."

"Yes, thank you." Hecate shifted uncomfortably. "I hate to be rude, but I really must go," she said as she stood. She placed her plate in Pippa's sink before Pippa could grab it from her, and she was out the door before Pippa could say more than goodnight.

***

Pippa was soaked. Her umbrella hadn't done her a bit of good on her walk from her car to the building. To add to it, it was freezing cold and it looked like the power was out. It was times like this she regretted not having a fireplace. She trudged up the stairs under the emergency lights in no hurry to get to her cold flat. She was just unlocking her door when Hecate, just as wet, appeared from the stairwell behind her.

"Hello," Pippa's usual cheer was absent, but Hecate somehow seemed just the same as she always did. 

"Good evening." Hecate pulled out her own keys. She seemed to hesitate a minute before she turned back to Pippa. "Would you like to come over?" Pippa tried not to gape. Was Hecate really inviting her over out of the blue? Was the other woman feverish? "It's just… I have a fireplace and I noticed that you don't. You could," Hecate paused. "You could come get warm?" 

"That would be lovely." Pippa smiled. It really was a nice gesture and one she wouldn't have thought Hecate would make. It sounded much better than sitting in her own cold flat. "Just give me a minute to get dry and change."

"I'll leave my door unlocked." Hecate smiled. It was barely an upturn of her lips, but it was there, and seeing it made Pippa feel special. She'd never seen Hecate smile before. 

Pippa ducked into her flat. She grabbed a torch to see with, wrung her hair out and changed as quickly as possible into soft grey leggings and a pullover that was only slightly more subdued than magenta. Both were incredibly warm, which was the real purpose of wearing them. She grabbed _The Girls of Pentangles_ to return and then headed over to Hecate's flat. Once she was there, she found Hecate in her night robe stoking the fire. Her hair cascaded down her back and made Pippa catch her breath. Inviting looking blankets were piled up on the chairs that Hecate had turned to face the fire. The room was still chilly, but it was warmer than Pippa's flat had been. Her torch and the fire provided the only light in the room but the darkness didn't bother Pippa. It was cozy.

"Thank you," Pippa said as she approached. She grabbed one of the blankets and wrapped it around herself before sitting down. It took all of her resolve not to make a face. The chair felt like it was made of rocks. 

"It's nothing. I can make us tea if you'd like." Hecate was moving about the room, opening drawers and pulling out candles. In minutes, there were lit candles on nearly every flat surface and a kettle on the stove for tea. The effect was supremely cozy, and Pippa was glad she had said yes to Hecate's offer. 

Once the tea was finished, Hecate brought everything over to the sitting area. She poured them both cups and handed one to Pippa to prepare however she liked. Finally, Hecate sat down and immediately winced. 

"These chairs are atrociously uncomfortable, aren't they?" Hecate said. "I don't often have visitors." Pippa wasn't surprised. She chuckled as she pushed her pile of blankets onto the floor then followed them. She pulled and fluffed until she had a nest right in front of the fire. 

"Come down here." Pippa patted the floor next to her. "It's much nicer." Hecate raised a skeptical eyebrow, but she did as Pippa asked. "There. Isn't that better?" Pippa smiled a shy smile at Hecate. Hecate nodded her acquiescence but said nothing. It was only then that Pippa realized how close they were together and how warm the fire actually was. She shivered but not with cold. Once again she wanted to reach out and touch Hecate, to run her fingers over an arm, to sink those fingers into Hecate's hair, to draw her close, to kiss her. 

"I… I brought _The Girls of Pentangles_ back," Pippa said tentatively. She wished she had something to talk about other than the books, but it was the only thing she and Hecate had talked about, and at least they wouldn't be sitting in silence. "Though I still think _The Solution in the Spell_ is my favorite of the short stories, possibly my favorite of anything they've written. I haven't finished the book yet. I want to savor each story and it's taking me quite a while to read them." 

Hecate looked over at Pippa with wide eyes as if she were taking Pippa in for the first time that night. It was intense and Pippa's breath caught as she met Hecate's eyes. There was such longing there. Maybe touching, kissing, Hecate wasn't too much to ask for. She'd just have to try and find out what happened. 

"Hecate, forgive me if I'm wrong, but..." Pippa leaned in and kissed her. Hecate's breath hitched before she could kiss Pippa back, but as soon as she recovered, Hecate brought a hand up to cup the base of Pippa's skull. Pippa sunk into the kiss, into the feeling of Hecate's lips against her own. It was all she had been wanting for months and months now. She opened her mouth under Hecate's tongue as she clutched at one of Hecate's shoulders. The room got warmer and warmer and suddenly to was too hot to bear. She pulled away slightly, resting her forehead against Hecate's, breathing the same air as her. She leaned in for another quick kiss, then another and another. It was all she could do to stop when Hecate finally pulled away entirely. The fire reflected off of Hecate's eyes and Pippa thought for a moment that Hecate wanted to lie her down right there in the blankets and take her. Pippa wouldn't have said no, But instead, Hecate pulled away.

"Give me a few minutes. I've forgotten that Morgana needs my attention." Pippa wasn't sure that was true, but she gave Hecate her space and watched as the other woman disappeared into her bedroom. Pippa wasn't sure exactly how long she was going to be alone, so she wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulder and stood up. Her knees were aching a bit from sitting on the floor, and she really needed to stretch them. She walked past the bookshelves this time and over to the desk.

She wasn't looking for anything in particular, just indulging her curiosity. The desk wasn't messy, but it was obviously used. The computer was off, likely due to the power outage, and a notebook off to the side was turned to a blank page while a pen rested on top of it. There was an open book bound in pure black centered on the desk and Pippa couldn't stop herself from picking it up. She took a quick glance at the cover and blinked. _Spellcraft_ by HB. That was… _Spellcraft_ wasn't supposed to be released for another six months, they'd only just announced the title, yet here Hecate had a copy of it on her desk. Pippa flipped through it, not stopping long enough to read anything, but slowly enough to see the occasional block of dark red ink in the margins. Suddenly everything clicked. She jumped when she heard movement behind her. 

"You're HB?" Pippa turned toward the noise and asked nonplussed. There was no way it was true. She had been living next to HB, talking to her about her work, for over a year and she hadn't even known it. 

Hecate bristled. "You went through my things."

"It was on top of your desk. I was just curious."

"Curiosity? Is that your excuse?" Hecate said as she drew up to her full height and braced her muscles as if expecting a physical blow. "Leave." 

"What?" Pippa reeled back. If she had known it was going to be a big deal, she never would have looked around in the first place. She should have realized that Hecate would be a private person.

"Get out. Now," Hecate bit out. Hecate pointed toward her door. Her face shuttered closed and she was once again the unknown, intimidating neighbor from when they first met. Pippa shuddered. 

"I'm sorry." Pippa grabbed her torch and turned toward the door. It was only after she got back to her cold, dark flat that she realized she was still wrapped up in the warmth of Hecate's blankets.

***

Hecate managed to wait until the next day before she called Ada. It was several rings before the other woman picked up.

"Hecate, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Ada said cheerfully. It wasn't often that Hecate felt the need to call her publisher. 

"We may have a problem." Hecate started pacing. She didn't want to be having this conversation. 

"Oh dear. Is there something egregiously wrong with the book? You know we still have plenty of time to fix it."

"Worse," Hecate said through gritted teeth. "Someone's figured out who I am."

"That neighbor of yours?"

"How…?" Hecate replied, utterly baffled that Ada could figure it out and figure it out so quickly. 

"You've been talking about her for months and she's the only person you've let close enough to find out in years," Ada said with understanding. 

"I've no idea what you're talking about." 

"Of course you don't," Ada chuckled before she got more serious. "So, do you think she's going to go to the press?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you know we have a plan in place if she does. And really, would it be so bad if everyone knew?"

Hecate sniffed. "It certainly would."

"If you say so, Hecate. If you say so."

***

Pippa needed to give them back. The blankets were folded neatly on one end of her couch, HB's, _Hecate's_ , book of short stories sitting on top of them. She knew now how much the short stories must mean to Hecate, how much of herself she had revealed when she had given them to Pippa to read, and she didn't want to separate them from their owner for too long. The inscription made sense now as well. It didn't surprise her that Hecate wouldn't be the type of person to take breaks, to go on vacations. Pippa pulled out a pen and a piece of stationary and started to write.

***

The pile of blankets sitting outside her doorway surprised Hecate when she came home the next day. The book, with a note sticking out of it, surprised her as well. She had assumed she would never get either back.

She unlocked her door and scooped the entire pile up into her arms. She had to admit, she was curious about what Pippa had written to her. She left the blankets on the couch, put the book away, and opened the note. 

_Dear Hecate,_

_I'm truly sorry I snooped through your things. I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to get to know you a bit better. If you're worried that I'm going to tell anyone, you needn't be. You've worked so hard to maintain your anonymity, and I would never jeopardize that._

_And thank you for sharing so much of yourself with me by letting me read those short stories. The Solution in the Spell remains my favorite. Even more so now that I know just how much of yourself you reveal in it. It's so you: taciturn on the surface yet so full of emotion underneath. I feel like if I had only been paying attention, I would have known it was you from the moment I read it._

_Again, you've nothing to worry about from me as far as revealing your secret._

__

_Your friend,  
Pippa_

Hecate huffed. The words reassured her, but they were just words. And was Pippa really still her friend? She doubted it. Still, there was something touching about Pippa having written the note in the first place. Hecate didn't know what to think.

***

It was another month before Hecate received her advanced copies _Spellcraft_ and she waited anxiously the entire time. Surely the other shoe would drop eventually. Pippa would say something, even if it was inadvertent, and all of her safeguards would crumble. But she couldn't wait in fear forever. She gave herself that month then tried to put it from her mind. She tried to put Pippa from her mind as well but with much less success. For some reason, she found that she missed the other woman, missed Pippa's fleeting presence in her life. She didn't know what to do about it though. It was when she sat down to sign a few of the advance copies that the idea came to her. She pulled one of the copies to her and started to write.

***

Pippa looked at her door in curiosity. There was a small package wrapped in brown paper sitting in front of it. Who would leave such a thing? Who would come all the way to her building to do it when they could have just as easily put it in the post? Pipp picked it up and carried it inside, absentmindedly putting her school things down in favor of opening it.

She ran a finger under the tape at the edges and pulled the paper away. It was a book. Pippa turned it over and her breath caught in her throat. It was a copy of _Spellcraft_. The book still wasn't due out for months and there was a copy in her hands. She flipped through the pages resisting the urge to forget the rest of her plans for the night in favor of reading it right away. There was only one person who could have left it by her door. Pippa's eyes went to the wall between their apartments. Why had Hecate done it?

She sat down to flip through the book once again only then seeing the inscription on the title page: 

_"Pippa,_

_I miss you._

_Hecate 'HB' Hardbroom"_

It was so simple, yet between it and the gift, it said so much. Pippa wondered how much effort it had taken Hecate to write, to sign her own name.

***

Hecate stared at the blank page in front of her while her cursor blinked. Never before had she ascribed feelings to an inanimate object, but tonight she was convinced it was mocking her. Normally, even when it was hard, Hecate had no problem getting at least some sort of words on paper, even if they would be mostly incoherent the next day. That night, however, she shifted around in her chair. She couldn't settle and her mind kept jumping from thought to unrelated thought, but they kept coming back around to Pippa. She had left the book outside Pippa's door that afternoon. Had she gotten home yet? Had she seen it? What did she think?

There was a knock on her door. It was too late for it to be anyone other than Pippa. Hecate braced herself as she approached the door and took a deep breath before she opened it. She was right. It was Pippa, and she was standing there with a glass in hand. "What--" 

"Well," Pippa cut her off. "I was baking some biscuits, and I spilled all of my milk…"

Hecate looked at her in bafflement, but before she could ask exactly what was going on, she had her arms full of Pippa. Pippa, who used her free hand to pull Hecate down into a kiss. She kept Hecate close even as the kiss ended. "I hope I didn't misread anything, but I've missed you too." 

"You," Hecate swallowed, "you haven't." Hecate pulled Pippa into another kiss. "So now what?" Hecate asked. Clearly, Pippa was back in her life, but what did that mean? 

"Now, you're going to take me on a proper date, and then we'll see what happens." Pippa made it sound so easy. Now that there were no secrets between them, maybe it could be. Hecate kissed Pippa again.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are magnificent and I'm on tumblr @twtd11


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